A new environmental disaster in Peru’s rivers that few are talking about

The causes of the oil spill are still under investigation, while the disaster could spread to other communities and have harmful effects on the health of the population

Just days ago, the Pastaza River near Iquitos, Peru, close to the border with Ecuador, became a site of yet another ecological tragedy. An oil spill in a river whose source was initially unknown was reported by local citizens hailing from nearby Indigenous communities.

The state-owned firm Petroperú later added that the spill occurred, naming the rupture in the North Peruvian Pipeline-.ONP for its Spanish acronym-at kilometre 7 of its northern trunk, in the Pastaza district of the Datem del Marañón Province in Loreto region.

In response, the emergency plan was immediately activated.

“Thanks to the timely activation of the emergency plan, the valves were closed and containment barriers were placed, which avoided dispersion of crude,” the company said in a statement.

However, Amazon Frontlines said the spill affected three Indigenous Andwa communities, cutting off access to clean water and sources of food.

A history of spills in Peru

The 2023 study entitled “The Shadows of Hydrocarbons” presents an astonishing count of almost 500 oil spills from 2021 to 2023 alone-a surefire indication of the persistent danger. About 73% of the causes are due to corrosion in pipelines and operational failure; thus, the dire need for infrastructural and practical changes in the petroleum industry is underlined in order to avoid further ecological and public health catastrophes.

The list of those responsible includes Pluspetrol, which contributed with 394 spills, followed by Petroperú with 191 and Frontera Energy with 113.